


The Sky on the Sand

by Aromarrym



Series: Beautiful Soul [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multichapter, Nature, Pathetic fallacy, RokuSora, Sky and Sea, Songfic, Soroku, Threeshot, beach, prose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 07:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7882558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aromarrym/pseuds/Aromarrym
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"If the sky could dream... it would dream of falling in love."</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Nature-loving Roxas takes a walk at the beach one day and is drawn by a mysterious set of letters written on the sand. Who has been writing it and why won't it fade away? And this Sora... Can a romance bloom between a boy who's got his eye on the world, and another who sees the world through his azure eyes? RoxasxSora day three-shot fic, shounen-ai.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Life is Brilliant

**Author's Note:**

> My second Soroku fic! I'm mostly migrating already completed stories to AO3, because man are ongoing stories super hard to manage. PLUS COMPLETED STORIES ARE GOOD!
> 
> I got this story idea whilst travelling and camping around January last year, and it was supposed to be a Rokusora Day fic but I cannot even deadline. Here we go with my fail prose writing style and overuse of pathetic fallacy XD I wish it ended the way I had it in my head but alas, I like how things went anyway. 
> 
> I don't own _You're Beautiful_ , Kingdom Hearts or RokuSora. But I hope you like this story <3

 

 

 

The summer air is warm, albeit comforting, one day on a five-thirty afternoon.

Birds of variated species glide across the sapphire sky, cawing noisily to their friends as they migrate for shelter. The blonde is alone. The people around him begin to pack for the day — swimsuits lazily stuffed in plastic bags, ready to retire.

Roxas watches the waves wash over tainted sand; the once visible set of footprints in front of him fading into a dampened slate of perfection. He looks back. A light smile graces his face in admiration of the unblemished shore. It's like he was never even there. No footprints. No tire tracks. No crumbled ruins of kids' sandcastles. Just the melodious whispers of the wind, with an alto of bird calls joining in. It's one of the main reasons why Roxas prefers visiting the beach at this hour. The environment itself is calming... soothing... utterly and perfectly  _natural._

Roxas has always loved nature. Time and time again he would admire the sunrise from outside his window — it fascinates him; the burst of yellow-red light, desperately climbing up the sky to illuminate every corner of the world. The sunset is just as  _beautiful_  — to witness the gradual decrease of the same light they rely on... to see it bleed into the navy blue night is one of the most spectacular things he's ever seen. Whenever he and his family go travelling, he'd be the one ushering them into nature reserves and botanical gardens. It was simply in his natureto be one with the environment.

So while the other teenagers around him would rather bury themselves in the mind filth of their technological devices, Roxas will be outside; loving the up and downs of the landscape... loving the gentle and audacious dance of the frigid sea... loving the sky; from its rainy tears to its shining smile, and everything about the world that makes it beautiful.

* * *

_My life is brilliant._

* * *

"Hello, Roxas speaking." After much fumbling with the phone in his pocket, he finally presses it to his ear and addresses the other on the line. It's Axel, one of his best friends. They're supposed to hang out at the redhead's house the following day, and the guy's decided to call to confirm it.

Roxas listens to the teen babble nonsense while he continues his beach walk. Something about the girls Axel's met and flirted with that summer if he's hearing it correctly. The guy's a hopeless romantic, and Roxas can't help but feel sorry for his friend's futile attempts at getting a girlfriend.

"They all think I'm too much, you know. Too... _intense_. What does that even mean? Is it my hair or my eyes? Heck, I'd even dye it brown and flatten it or something!"

The sun's quite close to setting, so Roxas stops in his tracks, glancing over the distant horizon. "It means that you probably should give yourself a break, Ax. Too much heart pain destroys the soul. Take Demyx for example. He's about as chill with romance as an undisturbed lake would be calm."

"Of course you have to compare everything to  _nature._ " He hears a grunt from the other side of the line. "I just want someone to love, y'know? And no, don't tell me to go for that flower-loving Marluxia. I swear, she's got issues. And what's up with the low voice? Not my material."

"Hmmm..."

Axel does this weird "click" sound with his mouth over the phone, and even now Roxas still doesn't understand what it's meant to be. "Well, at least we have video games.  _Happy, happy video games._ " he cackles. "Anywayyyy~ how's _your_ love life been hanging on this summer? Got a girl I'm supposed to know about? What about that chick Xion from media? She's pretty rad."

The blonde snorts. "I'd prefer to be alone, thank you very much. When she comes into my life, then she comes into my life." he says. "I'll worry about it at the time."

"You aromantic fool."

The insult's weak, but Roxas gets it. He returns one of his own before they're both bantering over the phone like they usual do. The cerulean-eyed teen soon resumes his trekking across the beach, the icy waves occasionally reaching the edge of his slippers. "Well, talk to you later. I'm about to go home so..."

"Yeah... See ya then, Rox." Axel replies. "Try not to be so introverted, bro. You never know who you might run into."

"Tch. Whatever, Axel."

A click later and Roxas sighs. His friend worried too much about love and romance. The entirety of his own summer had been spent exploring the world's wonders from within his neighbourhood (maybe a few video games here and there as well) and the occasional day outs with his family; there wasn't enough time in his hands to spend finding someone he didn't, well,  _need to have_ at the moment. If he thinks hard about it, Roxas had never actually  _been_  with anyone. Not that it mattered too much.

The squawking of seagulls rouses Roxas from his thoughts as a few of them crowd around something just ahead of him. He blinks. With curious steps, he approaches their territory — it's a known fact to all that crowding seagulls meant something to eat is around, but there's no one at the beach to feed them but him.

When he sees what the birds are pecking at — a few clumps of lined up seaweed, apparently — Roxas also notices something else. There is a word written on the shore.

Letters meticulously etched on the perfect sand, marring its beauty. It's not the word itself that piques Roxas' interest, but the struggle the waves have to take to wash off what's not meant to be there. Two letters. Two letters still remain, danked in saltwater.

_R. A._

How odd...

The sun begins to ebb from the now blushing sky, making way for night to come. It's enough to urge Roxas to walk back home. It's not until his twin calls him to dinner the moment he walked in that he realizes just how late he's stayed out today.

* * *

_My life... is brilliant._

* * *

The second time Roxas comes across the fairly similar writing on the sand is days later — his brother Ventus is with him this time. The clouds are out today. A stronger tang of salt rides the breeze, a tickle to the nose.

"Oi, Roxas! Wait up, dude!" Ven calls, panting as though he'd run a ten-mile marathon. Some of the locals decide to pass their time at the beach as they cycle along the shore or engage themselves in a game of tag with their pets.

Roxas turns around and shakes his head. "Geez, I've been walking this whole time. How could you be so tired?" he laughs.

"I... just..." Pausing to breathe, Ven stands up straight. "I d-don't like w-walking, okay? I'm not like you. How can... you walk so fast...?"

"Well, you didn't have to come with me. You know I actually do this for  _fun._ "

"Yeah... I know." Roxas' twin shrugs. "It's just you hardly stay at home and we haven't hanged out much..."

Ventus notices the younger blonde stare at something in the distance and inquisitively furrows his eyebrows. His brother's doing that distracted, far-off expression again, and whenever he does so, it's either he's too caught up with his thoughts or there's something else that's got his attention, making it almost impossible to communicate with him. "What's got your eye, Rox?" he questions.

" _Hmm?_ Oh, umm, there's just this thing..."

The teen strides not too far from where they stood, stopping in front a familiar handful of laid out seaweed. It's the same enigmatic writing — albeit  _smaller..._  more slanted... and  _imperfect._  This time around, there's an extra letter present to spell the mysterious word, the waves around him ever-so-determined to sculpt the sand back to its immaculacy.

_O. R. A..._

"That is so weird..." Roxas tells himself out loud. He combs a hand through his flaxen locks out of disbelief whilst he shakes his head, clearly in awe.

Ven catches up to him eventually, a little confused. "What's up?" Tracing Rox's line of sight, the boy earnestly wonders what his twin finds so interesting about what they're looking at.

"Don't you think that's weird, Ven? It  _refuses_  to fade away... I've been on many beach walks and have watched random traces on the sand get washed up but this is the first I've seen to stay as it is for as long as it has. I wonder what the whole thing says..."

"Dude, I don't know what you're talking about." his brother says. "All I see is plain sand and some lined up seaweed."

"What...?"

He doesn't know if Ven's mocking him because those very letters stand proud, visible against the earth, the "O" a little lopsided but visually prominent. Then again, he must be seeing things. Whoever heard of a resilient, non-fading word on the sand? Utterly ridiculous, if he thinks so himself.

Despite this, Roxas is sure that it is there.

Whatever it is.

Whatever it says.

* * *

_I saw an angel... of that, I'm sure._

* * *

_Sora._

The mysterious word on the ground is "Sora", or so Roxas believes the third time he sees it. It's five o'clock in the afternoon and the irritating screams of children playing pierce the usual calm atmosphere of the boy's frequent beach walks.

There is a pair of barely fresh footprints leading outwards from the writing on the sand — small, almost his size but thinner and leaner. Like the word, they cling onto the sand adamantly, retaining their original figures. Untouchable. Nonerasable. Everlasting.

Roxas looks around. He follows the footprints with a cerulean gaze before it ends as though one had just upped and vanished at their very spot. They're rather easy to follow from their origin, as everything flawed around it dissipates into the sand with the weeding out of the waves. If only he could meet the person centering this peculiar mystery. Sora, huh.

How does the sky bring meaning to this individual?

* * *

After many of his attempts, the blonde can conclude there's a certain time the writing appears on the sand. He once visited the beachside early morning, only to be greeted with the high tide and an orchestra of reconning seagulls. After lunch met him with similar results — mothers yelling concerned commands at their mischievous children and beach volleyball players...  _everywhere_. It's not until four-thirty hits that the blonde sees it in the sand with its recurring side clump of seaweed, as whole as it should be.

"Sora..." it reads, the handwriting very legible today.

He eyes it fondly, kneeling, tracing it in the air with a finger. It's still there. The water's barely reached the first letter before it's pulling back again, crashing onto the sand vehemently. Roxas decides to test a theory — if he writes something, would it fade away like it should, or would it stay like the word he's been interested in? He scoots closer to where the water can touch the shore and does so — large, lopsided letters, tidbits of sand digging into his fingernails.

_"My name is Roxas."_

Here comes the water and the cerulean-eyed teen is holding his breath —  _once... twice... three times_  — it comes, washing over the sentence like it wasn't even there. Sora remains, however. Like it always does. It actually makes Roxas laugh, how absurd he was being. To spend countless minutes at the beach nearby his house, waiting for something or someone — he doesn't even know what or why. Axel would have a blast hearing this from him.

One last glance at the sky on the sand and Roxas heads home, completely unaware that a pair of azure eyes are smiling at him from afar.

* * *

_He smiled at me..._

* * *

It's been raining hard for three days straight, so Roxas hasn't had the chance to visit the beach again. Instead, he busies himself with board games against his twin. Sometimes their father Cloud joins them both and sweeps the victory off of the twins' feet before they know it. Aerith comes in a little later with a sweet-smelling lasagna dish, and the four dine with vigor while destruction takes place out in the open.

When the storm subsides a little, the young blonde deems it safe to venture out at the beachside once more. He tells himself how grateful he is for the rain as it had been scorching hot that season. With a green umbrella at hand, Roxas makes his way to the beach, a light shower of drizzle gathering on the old concrete road. There is nobody around. All of them are inside — safe from the cold, safe from the tears their beloved sky has shed.

But it seems he isn't the only one not repelled by the rain because the writing on the sand is there on the shore — seaweed clump and all. Roxas is careful not to get the edge of his jeans wet as he jogs over to the spot. What he sees shocks him; even more so than the fact that these traces on the ground are just as indestructible from the rain as they are with the waves.

_"Hi Roxas. My name is Sora."_

Letters... wonkier than usual. Prints of agony with smudges of little sand gathering around the edges of each character. Sora. The mysterious person's name is Sora. How has the stranger seen his own writing in the sand when it diffused as quickly as it did? Unless... this Sora has been  _watching him all along._  That even now — Roxas frantically circles the area and with cautious steps, scrutinizing every metre from a distance —  _he's being watched..._

"Who are you, Sora." He tells the raging sea. "I want to know. Let me know who you are."

* * *

_I won't lose no sleep on that... 'cause I've got a plan._

* * *

 


	2. You're Beautiful

_He dreams in blue._

In his visions, Roxas looks at the sky — azure in the morning... sapphire in the afternoon... ultramarine at night. Its essence coincides with the aquamarine sea; _splish, splash, splosh._ The land around him is covered in trees. Wading through the open island, Roxas reaches above him with extended hands, desperate to fly.

Beside him a shadowed silhouette stands, furtively guiding him, like the secret angel it was. He doesn't know it but around the time the seasons come and go, his angel is watching him... near and far. Fall brings in the spirit of the waves and winter brings joy to Father Nature — snow white like his perfect hair, eyes aquamarine flakes. But when flowers bloom and the sun peaks high, the quiet ocean and the deep blue sky live in perfect harmony.

 

_"Take me with you... we can be together..."_

 

And just when Roxas is about to be lifted by the wind personifying invisible arms, the blonde jolts awake in his bedroom, deprived from seeing the face of nature — of true beauty and brilliance.

* * *

_You're beautiful._

* * *

The beach is crowded today. The television this morning reports a high-peaking sun, possibly the hottest day of summer yet. Without further ado, Roxas says farewell to his parents as they occupy themselves with building the backyard gazebo. Ven is out with his best friend Vanitas so it's just him on the shore like always.

He has a feeling something good's about to happen this afternoon.

Treading through the group of sunbathing individuals and young toddlers having fun in the sand, Roxas keeps his eyes open for that one familiar seaweed clump on the shore. The chitter-chattering around him is very distracting, but he manages to get by another hundred metres before he spots it. Bingo.

He doesn't have to squint to know there's someone hanging around the place. Of all the places in the beach... And since Roxas doesn't like random interactions with people, he hopes he doesn't have to tell the person to move elsewhere. Perhaps there was another line of seaweed around somewhere? The days he visited before, there was noone ever really around, so it could be that he's just looking at the wrong place. It wouldn't hurt him to check anyway.

 

_Step... step... step..._

 

The stranger is clad in a plain white shirt and red shorts, cropped just around his knees. Chocolate spikes excusable for hair almost mimics his own, if not for its photographic messiness. He kneels. Roxas pays him little attention as he treks towards that one special spot.

 

_Step... step... step..._

 

"Hmmm... That's odd..."

What the blonde sees is almost what he expects. For one reason or another, the name's not there like it should be. Roxas checks his watch for the time. Is "Sora" running late today?

_Has the name finally been washed away like it should?_

The seventeen year old looks around, his closed shoes making patterned prints on the grainy sand. There are so many people around. It could be that he'd definitely gotten the spot wrong; there was plenty of this beach for him to keep searching. But naturally washed up seaweed is rare around this place — he would know this from his frequent beach walks. If it wasn't for "Sora" lining up his signature clump of seaweed, he doubts he'd even find the name in the first place.

 

WAIT.

.

.

.

The seaweed.

.

.

.

It's already here.

.

.

.

And that can only mean...

.

.

.

_...Sora is already here._

.

.

.

 

"I haven't written anything down yet..." the stranger mutters, compelling Roxas to turn around. "I figured I didn't need to, since you come around almost everyday. Thought it was about time we met, yeah?" He's still kneeling on the sand, arranging a group of shells into the shape of a cloud.

Sora.

The mysterious young teen in front of him is Sora.

.

.

.

The Sora he's been looking for all this time.

* * *

_...You're beautiful._

* * *

Shocked and slightly bewildered, the blonde extends a hand out of courtesy to the boy kneeling in front of him. "Umm, hi. I'm Roxas."

"And I'm Sora."

"Sora" grins back, taking Roxas' greeting and returning it with friendly ease. His azure eyes are lighting up. Like the sun in the sky, they twinkle; the boy genuinely ecstatic at the thought of making a new friend. "I'm guessing there's a lot of things you want to ask me, right?"

"Heh, tell me about it..."

It's both exciting and slightly bizzare for Roxas to finally be talking to the writer on the sand.

They settle themselves on the shore, side by side — eyes travelling from the clearing sky to the sea, to the sand and back to their hands, grappling at fine sedimentary grains to pulling at the strings of their shorts. Roxas speaks up first. He tells him how he first came across Sora's name — from Axel's woeful call to his brother Ven's abrupt denial.

"I guess you could call me special." Sora says, chuckling a bit. "Not many people care enough about my visits, so it's nice to finally talk to someone new for a change. Although I don't come across as many people who are as interested in nature as you, so I guess that makes you special too."

 _But why isn't it fading away?_ Roxas wants to ask. _It's why I was drawn to it in the first place. Letters and words don't just stay in the sand like that for as long as they could..._

Sora looks at him with joyfully true blue eyes. Roxas isn't sure if the guy knows what he's thinking, but he is sure of one thing — there was... _something_ about Sora; something... _interesting._ Something oddly inexplainable and... well, _special._

It was the kind of interesting and special enough to draw him to the boy like Sora's enigmatic writing on the shore.

And as he told the sea the other day, Roxas wants to know more. He feels that whoever Sora really is, they could be really, really good friends.

.

.

_"I've been writing on the sand to see if anyone would notice. Turns out someone did."_

* * *

_You're beautiful... it's true..._

_I saw your face... in a crowded place..._

* * *

Roxas sees Sora again days later. The clouds are out again — nature's physical warnings to prepare for a little precipitation come the next few minutes.

The chocolate-haired boy has a stick in hand and from afar, appears to be tracing patterns into the perfect sand. It's around quarter to five. Several beach walkers disregard the boy's presence as they mar footprints onto his intricate drawings, leading Sora to trace over it again.

"Hey you, can you please jog elsewhere?" Roxas says as he approaches a random passerby. Sora looks up, azure on cerulean, and the passerby huffs and leaves with mutters of "dumb blondes" and their "nonsensical territoriality". The blonde shakes his head.

Some people... they just couldn't help being rude and ignorant of others, could they? The guy could have just walked around!

It's not like he was blind or something! Pfft.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. I'm used to it," Sora explains, redrawing his pattern with several strokes. "Plus, it wouldn't matter much. The art's still here, see?"

No, Roxas doesn't see.

"It was still rude of them to not go around." Crossing his arms, the cerulean eyed-teen rolls his eyes in utter disgust. Such situations contribute to why he was an introverted individual. There are so many people out there who he happens to be better off without, that's for sure. Awful, awful humanity.

All of a sudden, Roxas' pessimistic train of thought is shattered by a laugh.

A hearty laugh.

Is... Is Sora seriously _laughing_ at him?

The once cumulus sky diffuses into pure blue as Sora blooms into a million smiles. "It's nice to know I have someone looking out for me for a change." He says. He takes Roxas' hand and brings him to his side, showing him his current masterpiece.

"It's a dove. See the beak over there?" Sora points to a part of his print-flawed drawing. "It must be nice to fly free, huh..."

"I guess..."

Sora's trying to tell him something, but Roxas doesn't pick up on it. Instead he feels the tide coming in under his feet as the water begins to wash out the shore. Footprints dissolve back into the sand, leaving only a clear image of the bird.

"Someday... but not right now..." Sora whispers to himself as the two of them watch the sea come in and go out.

.

.

.

_"Someday, I'll be free."_

* * *

_I don't know what to do..._

* * *

The two boys continue to meet during several afternoons, alternating their activities from making sloppy sandcastles to splashing at the sea beneath their feet. Ven's actually concerned his brother's been out and about more often than he had for the last seventeen years of his life. When the older blonde confronts him one day, Roxas simply shrugs it off.

"Ventus, I'm just at the beach. Trust me, I'm not too far from home."

It doesn't stop his twin from prying anyway. Even Axel's noticed the younger blonde's slightly more cheerful demeanour — something reminiscent of his own love tirades, if he could say so himself. As if someone could be _that_ happy just going to the beach...

"No," Roxas says firmly. "I'm not seeing some girl. Get over yourselves."

"Bro, even Vanitas thinks you're dating someone. That guy's slower than a sloth, man."

Axel nods. "Heck yeah. And how is it that we haven't even met her?"

"That's because there isn't a "her"! Honestly."

"Yeah right..."

Axel and Ven aren't buying it one bit. However, they don't stop him when Roxas leaves for the door yet again, ready to hang out with his newfound friend.

* * *

Roxas learns that as good as Sora was an artist, he was also a good listener. He remembers telling him about starting university soon, and how he'd decided to major in art. Sora doesn't say anything back. He just nods and smiles, azure eyes sparkling with fascination.

"I think whatever you do, you'll do it well." the chocolate-haired teen mumbles, untangling the clump of seaweed into individual leaves.

"How about you, Sora? You're about the same age as me, right? What do you dream of doing?" Roxas asks.

"Mmm..."

He mistakes Sora's uncertainty for shyness, and Roxas couldn't really blame him. Sometimes he has trouble talking to others as well. "When I'm finally an adult, I'm going to visit the most spectacular places in the world. Someday, I'll find a beautiful place to live in... trees in the backyard, flowers everywhere..." It's a wonder that he's opening up to someone he'd just known several days ago — it usually takes Roxas longer to be comfortable with someone. But there's something about Sora that makes him keel in...

Maybe it's the way they're slightly alike personality wise — quiet, art and nature lovers. Sora's not rowdy like Axel or talkative like Demyx, and he's certainly not overprotective like Ventus. Sora was like him. Like a different version of himself in a another person. And _heh_ , Roxas rolls his eyes at the random thought, they could even be "soulmates" if he could call it that. Someone he was meant to meet, one way or the other.

What in the world is he thinking?

Time flies by so quickly and the sun's about to set — sapphire hues slowly but surely, saturating into apricot. Sora gets up abruptly. "I... I have to go now, Roxas." The's azure-eyed teen's jittery for some reason, and as if on cue, the sky darkens slightly as a mysterious fog kicks up.

"Umm, uhh... sure Sora. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. See you."

A faint crackle of possible thunder causes Roxas to look up, and just when he realizes he should probably ask for Sora's phone number, the chocolate-haired boy has already disappeared.

"...Umm, okay then. Guess I'll ask tomorrow..." Roxas says to himself, ready to return home to avoid the coming storm. The weather has been quite unpredictable lately.

* * *

_...You caught my eye, as I walked on by._

* * *

"Hey."

"Hmmm? Oh hi Roxas."

Azure eyes sparkle at the sight of his new summer friend.

"Err, my brother Ven made some cookies. I brought you some." the blonde tells him, handing Sora a box of it. They're sprawled out on the damp sand like usual, watching the rage of the sea. The tide is high this afternoon. Sora's been doodling here and there before Roxas arrived, so the shore around them is marked with words and patterns.

"Mmmm... these are really nice. Thank you~" the chocolate-haired boy smiles from ear to ear. Roxas has to look away from him for a moment, because like the summer sun, Sora's beautiful smile is blinding. He'll have to thank Ventus later for the idea.

 

 

_"Since you're secretly seeing someone and all — don't even try to deny it, I don't care if you are — you may as well bring her something. Here."_

 

 

Tch. Roxas doesn't get it. He finds it peculiar that he's still trying to explain to himself why he's compelled to visit Sora as often as possible. He'll probably never know why the sky on the sand never fades away, and maybe he doesn't want to know because he hasn't properly asked the brunette yet. Sora's company makes him happy, and even though the beach around them is filled with local strangers, it feels as if they are the only two people there.

Definitely peculiar.

"Roxas, I'm bored." the brunette declares all of sudden, rising to his feet with a determined look on his face. "Let's go swimming. Right here and right now! I mean what's the use of visiting the beach without swimming, right?"

"I don't have a swimsuit, though, s- _whoaa!_ " The blonde doesn't even get to finish his sentence as Sora pulls him into the icy waters of the beach — stumbling and fumbling and feigning for his balance but ultimately failing and tripping over his feet. Sora laughs, sunlight falling over him.

"Dude, what was that for? I can't go home like this!"

"Teehee, neither can I. Sorry..." he grins, and Roxas loses the hesitance to forgive him. Instead he gets him back by splashing at the brunette, and immediately that smile turns into a funny scowl.

"Hey! No fair! Wasn't ready~!"

"Too bad Sor." Another splash attack from the other and they're both laughing at the shallow ends of the sea.

"That's it. You're going down!"

"Not if I get you first!"

 _Splish. Splash. Splosh._ The sea brings together the sky and his light.

 _Splosh. Splash. Splish._ He'll wait for as long as it takes. The light will love his sky someday.

*******

"Oh no. I can't believe I lost against you..." Sora brings himself back on the sand, legs crossed and arms outstretched, his head back in the clouds. Roxas follows after a second or two and they lie on the shore together.

"My problem now is how I'll get dry." Roxas chuckles. He squeezes a handful of blonde spikes free of water, but it's not enough.

"It was fun though. I've done both many things and little things. That was one of the little things."

"You've never played in the sea before even though you're always here?"

Shaking his head, the brunette thinks of how he could explain it... "Well, I'm not always here. I'm... _err,_ you could say, a summer person. I usually hang around by myself. I don't think it's any fun playing in the sea on my own though."

"Oh."

Roxas kind of understands. He wasn't too social himself, so he knows the thrill of being with someone for a change. It's funny, because before he met Sora, he wouldn't have dared to imagine he could have this much fun with another individual just like him before. Sure, he has Axel and Demyx. He has his brother who is constanly there in the vicinity. But now he has Sora too, with his ultraviolet smile and clear blue eyes.

The blonde reaches out for one of the brunette's hands. "Rest assured, You have me now. So you won't be alone anymore."

"R-Really?"

The promise on Roxas' lips solidifies. "Yeah. Really."

And the setting daylight sparkles and shines, a burst of colour melting the summer heavens. White, yellow, gold, blue; cherry blurs of beauty. Sora isn't alone anymore.

He never was, and he never will be.

Sora isn't alone anymore.

* * *

_You can see from my face that I was... flying high..._

* * *

The time has come for the family to meet the girl of Roxas' dreams.

"Shut up, Axel. That's not funny. If you won't stop being a jerk then you can stay around and clean the kitchen." Roxas is putting on his favourite pair of combat boots. He's ready for another beach outing, but Axel and Ven insist they come with as well.

"Oh come on, Rox. She must be really endearing if you constantly visit her. Is she blue-eyed? We both know how much you love the colour blue."

"Oh shut it."

Ven's outfit is a close replica of Roxas' — he apparently wants to test if this girl his only brother has been pining for loved Roxas enough to be able to tell them apart.

"Are you kidding me right now? You two are such drags."

Ventus laughs. "Just be thankful Vanitas or Demyx aren't here. _Dude,_ Dem would be publicly serenading whoever she is and Vani would—"

"Okay, thank you very much, _shut up._ " The sun is far from going down, but Roxas hopes if he hurries these two hooligans would get lost and give up.

When they arrive, the beach is less packed than normal. The redhead's tossing a yoyo up and down whilst scanning the crowd for potential Roxas-lovers. Ventus remains silent, hands in his pockets as he joins the search. The air is dry and warm, but not to the point where it stings one's skin like a hostile heat wave.

"Wooow. She must be some hottie if she's always at the beach huh. Woot woot."

"Better than you could score anyway, Axel."

"Says who? The girls I pine fo— erhem, _I mean,_ feel an attraction for just don't understand what they're missing out on." he grins, doing that weird clicking sound with his mouth again.

_...Why oh why do they have to follow him?_

Roxas soon spots Sora tracing patterns into the sand a few metres away, and hoping to outrun the two he brushes past families ready to go home as a means to hide. The seventeen year old's panting when he gets there — Sora just eyeing him inquisitively.

"Hello Roxas. Were you running from someone?"

If he'd been looking up Roxas would have noticed the slightly scarlet hue of the sky. A rose-like tint like the coming of the sunset, an abstract complement to sapphire jewels. He does spot Sora smile, and just like that Roxas feels a whole lot better. If only it's enough to let him ignore Axel and Ven.

"Oh come on, Rox! It's not fun to just leave us alone like that!" Ven hollers as he comes face-to-face with Sora unknowingly. Axel agrees, still playing with his yoyo. "So when are we gonna meet her? You've seen her, haven't you? It's why you ran."

"Nngggh..."

The green-eyed boy is about to hit his new best friend with that infuriating toy of his, and Roxas snaps. "Watch it, Ax. You're gonna hit someone." He drags Sora some feet away from the two, checking he's all okay. The azure-eyed boy says nothing.

"I'm sorry, Sora. They— they followed me and I _couldn't..._ " The three stare at each other with puzzled looks — his blonde brother and his best friend terribly uncomfortable. "—couldn't get away."

Sora nods, the stick he is holding gripped tightly between dainty fingers. Who is this "her" the two are talking about? "Umm, that's okay..."

"Bro... Roxas... I don't _understan—_ " Roxas' twin trails off.

"I'm with you on that, Ven, I can't _believ—_ "

"No, you listen to me," the cerulean-eyed teen says. "You wanted to meet Sora, so here he is. There is none of this "her" business, and don't say I didn't tell you." He is standing between them, arms outstretched protectively to shield his beautiful sky.

"Sora, this is my best friend Axel. The blonde on the right's my twin brother Ventus. They're both hooligans, I'm sorry. Don't pay them any mind."

The shore behind them crashes violently into marred sand, filling up their unwanted silence.

"Hi, I guess." Ven mutters, elbowing Axel to reply.

"Yeah, _err,_ nice to meet you... S-Sora?"

Emerald eyes and cerulean travel just above Sora's head, like they're awkwardly afraid to meet his eyes. The brunette in question stays speechless and blinks. Reaching out to shake one of their hands, Sora backs away when they don't respond. They're just like everyone else, unfortunately.

"Nice to meet you, Axel and Ven."

*******

The two leave sooner or later, whispering amongst themselves as Roxas continues to keep Sora company. He's gone mad. All this time and they never expected that their brother and friend's anti-social behaviour has taken a turn for the extreme. But Roxas is happy. Axel has noticed his eyes, alight with pure glee, leave not the unsubstantial figure in front of him. Ventus can't deny the love Roxas has for this Sora — his attraction evident from these daily visits and the way he's picked up a bright summer smile.

Roxas, on the other hand, can't help but want to be closer to the azure-eyed boy. There is something so exhilarating from seeing someone he feels he can relate to, and if the blonde only looks close enough, he would see that Sora feels the same way. It feels natural, almost, to dedicate his time to these summer escapades. To listen to the song of the ocean, to be surrounded by nature's beautiful wonders. It's perfect. And to think all this comes from his wild curiosity, from the words on the shore that brought two and two together.

And from human nature alone, Roxas still desires for more.

"Sora, can't you stay a little longer?" Roxas mutters. The brunette always leaves before or when the sun sets. He's tried to get him to stay, but Sora is shy and refuses to change his mind. "I can't stay. Roxas, I have to go."

They can't drop by to other places either, and Sora doesn't even have a phone. Roxas has even tried inviting him back to his home for dinner. But unlike the patterns on the sand, Sora has to leave sooner or later. The cerulean-eyed teen just watches him go.

He swears, everytime he blinks even once, Sora is gone before he knows it.

When the sky is black-blue and the stars shine their first glimmers of light upon the earth, Roxas goes home with the hope for a better tomorrow. He feels ecstatic for reasons he can't explain — the fact that his new friend is the cause of this puzzles him somehow. But when Ventus and Axel greet him at the door, that feeling disappears as he's met with worried and concerned expressions.

"What do you two want?" It's futile to push past them, the persistent nuisances they are. The television voice over tells him his parents are in the living room, and when he leaves for his bedroom Axel pulls at his arm like he expected.

"Roxas, we need to talk. About Sora." His twin all but knows that it's not a good way to start a discussion.

"Can you just _leave me alone?_ If you don't like him then _fine,_ but that's not going to stop me from visiting him."

Axel clears his throat, his normally fixed hands fidgety with a hinted fear that his best friend would lash out. "There's something wrong, Roxas. Don't get us wrong, we're really happy for you. So happy. _Extremely happy._ "

"Don't push it, Ax." Roxas says. Ven's not feigning well with this either. They're staring at Roxas from elevated steps, and he of all people knows how angry Roxas can get.

"What we're trying to say is... there's something off with Sora. And it's not that he's umm, _a guy—_ " Cerulean begins to boil into an infuriated indigo, "-but... you see...umm..."

The red-haired teen saves his brother from agony. "...Roxas, remember when Ven said you saw some unwashable words on the sand?"

The younger blonde barely nods. "What about it?"

"Well, err, Sora- he..."

"Roxas. The person we supposedly met today? We... couldn't _see_ him. It was like you were talking to the wind."

.

.

.

Axel's prepared for the incessant hitting, but when none comes, he's almost baffled.

It seems that there is more to Sora than Roxas originally knew.

* * *

_...I don't think that I'll see you again..._

* * *

 

 

 


	3. It's Time to Face The Truth

The next time Roxas sees Sora is five days later. The boy hadn't been around for some unknown reason, worrying Roxas as he makes that grudging walk back home. The blonde has no means of contacting him either. It strikes him as odd as for the past few weeks, they'd see each other everyday, and if such wasn't the case, one of them would at least inform the other they'd be gone. But then again, Sora must be busy with his own life.

The sky is currently hidden behind a wall of clouds — thunder booming with no rain. It's nervous, somehow. The shores are deserted this afternoon, save for a few seagulls and sparrows scavenging for picnic crumbs left behind. Around him, the wind howls harshly, as though his very presence threatens the face of nature.

Sora's settled on the steps of the concrete stairs which lead to the isolated terrain of endless sand, thinking about something Roxas wishes he could ask about. He joins him on there, hands tucked away behind him as he sits. Summer's over in less than a month and the blonde is just counting down to the days when he'll begin university. He's yet to fix himself a schedule and grab himself a student identification card, but for now he'll stay here, at the beach, where he belonged.

"You... y-you d-don't hate me n-now, do you?" Sora speaks up, azure eyes trained on the grains beneath his shoes. It's far from the first thing Roxas expects Sora to say to him after a matter of days. Hate? How and what brought this train of thought on? Thunder cracks again and it startles him this time, snapping him free from anymore silent speculations.

"Why would I hate you, Sora?" Roxas asks. The brunette is still not looking at him when he shrugs, tucking a strand of brown hair behind his ear.

"...I just— I thought you wouldn't w-want to be friends w-with me anymore. I mean I'm... I never stay around when you want me to... and I— I withdraw so much and the other _day—_ " Images of the cerulean-eyed teen arguing with his brother and red-haired friend on the steps of his stairs comes to him and Sora pauses, speechlessly regretting why he wouldn't just **TELL HIM—**

.

.

.

_"You're c-crazy, okay? There's no way that you couldn't see him if I—"_

_"You're missing the point, Roxas. You don't understand, why won't you beli—"_

_"_ _**No**_ _. Go away. Ventus, tell Mom and Dad I'm not hungry, Axel, go home. Don't talk to me again unless it's to apologize."_

.

.

.

 

"Sora, you weirdo. You think I'd hate you over something like that?" the seventeen year old laughs it off as he draws himself closer to the boy. "You know it's perfectly okay you can't stay around or hang out, but that's not something big enough for me to start hating you. I mean, we're _friends._ Right?" And just like that, the clouds proceed to clear up, slowly more than spontaneously. The chocolate-haired boy isn't so tense anymore.

"Right... I'm sorry... I'm not v-very, err, good with... _this..._ "

Roxas blinks twice and he smiles before pinching Sora's cheek playfully. They rest their heads against each other — Sora's eyes on the waves and their undeterminable patterns and Roxas; the celestial heavens, wondering how on earth the thunder left so quickly as it came. As they sit there, the two can't help the subtle brushing of their hands against the other's, and it isn't until the third time it happens that Roxas decides to lace their fingers together — _softly... slowly..._ eyes calculating for emotions and heartbeats fast.

The hours are closing in, and the breeze is nice and cool as it dances lightly on uncovered skin. A few minutes later the cerulean-eyed teen ushers the both of them on their feet to walk along the beach's concrete wall while no one else is watching.

With Roxas on the sand, one hand guiding Sora's elevated form, they grin freely as they let themselves go, enjoying the _now,_ the time they have together. The brunette's right arm is raised to steady himself while he carefully places one foot after the other along the smoothened cement. It's times like this that Sora knows he will treasure as he commits to memory these special, mortal experiences. _Who knows when he'll do them again huh... if only he could, but_ —

"This is nice." Roxas starts, their fingers still entwined. They've stopped at the end of that wall, and Sora hops down to another set of stairs to the beach while his friend keeps him from falling.

"Yeah... It is, isn't it? If... if only I could make days go slower..." he replies as he catches the other's gaze, inwardly thinking about how unique its shade of blue is and how quickly it's becoming his favourite; a hue he cannot master or replicate. "If only I could draw out this summer, or every other one. But I cannot control time."

The sigh Sora makes is agonizing to his ears, like a defeated declaration of, _"I want to keep seeing you",_ because he's FALLEN but he needs to go back, he just can't risk it and they'll both get hurt in the end. It doesn't stop the gentle caress of pale fingers to his cheek though, or the communicative feelings conveyed between blue eyes.

 

 

 

If the sky could dream, it would dream of falling in love.

 

 

And now that it has, maybe it was best that it hadn't.

 

 

After all, not everything can stay the same.

 

 

Not even words that won't fade away on marred white sand.

 

 

 

Roxas' hand is really warm against his own. "I guess that makes two of us, then. Though we'll always have tomorrow, right?" Apricot rapidly climbs across the sky and sooner or later, Sora has to go again. Splayed fingers and lingering looks will have to do for now.

 

_If only we could._

* * *

_"We shared a moment... that will last till the end"_

* * *

He has to tell him how he feels before it's too late.

It's chilly in the middle of the night, but Roxas isn't so fazed with a blanket wrapped around him as he opens the window above his study table. He clears the stacks of papers and open magazines to one side before testing it to carry his weight. The moon is brighter than usual, or maybe that's just him. How warm his heart becomes to know that Sora could be watching the same sight, even though it's around three-thirty am and he'd just woken up from a none-too-peaceful dream.

Roxas knows there's something between them. And granted, they've only met each other this summer, but it was a great summer nonetheless. _Is._ The brunette's a little distant, but he wants to give this a chance. Give them a chance. After all, it's not everyday Roxas willingly wants to spend time with anyone other than himself and the people close to him. Maybe Father Nature would give him his blessings...

Autumn is coming fast, and he won't get to see the beach, and therefore, he won't get to see Sora, everyday from then on.

 _We can make it work,_ he tells himself.

Even from where he sits, Roxas listens to the whispers of the sea; quiet pleads to love what he has and his surroundings. Tugging the blankets around him more closely, he just smiles, thinking about true azure irises and those little sketches of crabs and pebbles on the ground. Sora's so endearing. Then there's his beautiful smile, and the way he looks at him, and the blonde's not sure whether or not he should take the boy into a hug or shake his head stupidly because he's just that adorable.

If he was paying attention, he would have noticed the intermittent twinkling of the brightest stars high up in the night sky, like the rapid blinks of two eyes.

 

Haha.

 

Hah.

 

 _...Love's a silly thing._ Nevermind that Roxas hasn't been in this situation before. He knows what he wants and he needs Sora to know that yes, he doesn't have to be scared anymore, because they can be together, and he'll never be alone waiting at the endless sea of dreams.

* * *

"AWWW, WHAT DID YOU DO?! You messed up my fort! You know I'm going to get you for this, right?"

"Hah. Try to attack my super-duper shovel cannon! Pew pew pew pew pew! Two can play at this game, hahaha!"

It's another sunny afternoon at the local beach, and Roxas and Sora are engaged in a competitive game of sand fort wars. The people around them mind their own businesses as they indulge in their afternoon teas or splash both feet in cold water.

As of then, the brunette is tallying most of the points, and his friend has to catch up else he be crowned the ultimate sand fort wars loser. Roxas chances another sandball attack, but he misses as it lands on the azure-eyed teen's protective wall, crashing it down.

"Oh no... I have to build that back now." Sora grins, taking his trusty stick and writing up a point on Roxas' side. It was the blonde's idea to start this game. Immediately after they ran into each other, he'd just upped and said, "let's verse each other on a sand fort war" before striding close to the shore with a branch in hand. Sora just shook his head and went with it.

"Don't get so confident, Sora. I can still take you down, shovel cannon or nah!"

Piling up damp clumps of sand one after the other, the brunette's ready to withstand another blow, that is, after he makes a right aim. He holds up the stick as if he's trying to measure the distance and angle he should shoot at. "Get ready for this! Prepare to surrender!"

"No way!"

Roxas' fort walls are high, but if Sora disregards it, he knows he can completely obliterate the castle and take the victory. So when he winces at the way he releases the sandball with his mini shovel, he doesn't have to look to know he's won when the cerulean-eyed teen groans defeatedly.

"Hahaha! Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick! Five points for me! And now that your castle's down, that means I get YOUR treasure!" He doesn't really know the basics behind this sand fort wars thing, but he complies when Roxas tells him to hide a "treasure" inside the fort. Said treasure, according to the blonde anyway, served as a motivation to take the other's forces down. Sora's is a nice conch shell he found in the sea when they were collecting their resources. He could only wonder what Roxas' is.

The blonde nods. "Okay, okay. But... don't laugh at mine. I think you, ahaha... um— I think you c-could use it... for the n-next round." He steps aside with a hand behind his head as Sora kneels next to him, digging for the unknown.

Minutes later, Sora finds a white clam shell amidst the camouflages of sand. Still intact, thank goodness; a few chips at the edges and a stubborn barnacle on one of the sides. "Woah. It's huge! There are lots of good shells in the sea, huh?"

"Yeah. Helps to be wearing beach shoes. They, err, can get really sharp."

Roxas is fidgety whilst Sora inspects it from corner to corner. It's not pretty — dull grey washing out the white and textured ridges all over. When he opens it, Roxas is plain _not looking,_ a blush on his cheeks as the other picks up the barely-dry rolled up paper inside it.

"Umm... what is—" Sora doesn't finish. Five cursive words stare back at him, and he could only glance nervously at Roxas who is still not looking at him.

 

_"Can I tell you something?"_

 

The brunette chews on his bottom lip, blunt fingernails scratching at the surface of the note. "Uhh... sure, I guess..."

He breathes in deeply, mentally preparing himself for what Roxas has to say. He's still _not looking_ at him. What Roxas does do is reach for his hand and drag him closer to the shore, where they both kneel down and wait as the blonde starts to doodle with his branch.

The cerulean-eyed teen traces one face on the sand after the other, both sporting gravity-defying hair, two pairs of dotted eyes and a love heart encircled around them. Then, lopsided words — four in total — are drawn underneath this innocent art sketch of two individuals and their blossoming feelings for one another.

 

_"I. Really. Like. You."_

 

Sora can't find any words to say in reply — he just squeezes back on the hand he's still holding, head cast down and eyes looking anywhere but at Roxas or the drawing. The doodle doesn't stay there, sadly — unlike his own, it disappears with the first three rushes of the waves, untraceable like the way illustrations on the sand should be.

* * *

.

.

_...He likes me._

_._

_._

_He likes me too._

_._

_._

_...Roxas, he likes me too._

_._

_._

_What... What do I do now..._

_._

_._

_._

_._

He's trying not to run away, this time.

Sora knew this would happen one day, because he's seen through Roxas' feelings. Just replaying those words _again and again_ in his mind makes their situation more tangible.

.

.

_He returns my feelings..._

.

.

_...Roxas, he returns my feelings..._

.

.

_What can I do now..._

.

.

**...There is no way this can last a lifetime.**

The joyful atmosphere diminishes as the clouds bundle in strangely, and it's like yesterday all over again. The locals are looking up at the unpredictable sky and so is Roxas, who's just as surprised as he was when he'd first seen the unwashable words on the ground.

"Why's the weather always changing like this?" he whispers to himself. Sora's "sorry" doesn't reach his ears when he raises his eyebrows at the families reluctantly packing for the day. The sun that was once there fades in the sky's dimness and he finally pays attention to Sora. He's paled with their game long forgotten, bottom lip between his teeth and tempted to leave at anytime.

"What's wrong, Sora, are _you—_ "

He already knows what Roxas is going to say. "Roxy, I can't. I'm sorry, but I _just—_ "

...He doesn't regret this. He doesn't regret meeting him. He doesn't regret what he feels and doesn't hate what he is.

He just wants to know why this is so hard. Is this how it feels to be in love? How painful and agonizing and human it is...

They could be happy but. There's just no way he can stay.

Roxas wouldn't remember him. How could he live through a romance that can never be sustained?

The latter's about to slip through and disappear again when Roxas catches his arm, desperate to make him stay. "Please, I didn't know what I did, is it the weather? Is it scaring you? We can go find shelter, maybe stay under a tree if it starts to rain—"

"You won't understand... Please, let m-me go."

"What won't I understand... I'll listen to you, even if it takes long. Y-You can tell me..."

Thunder is rolling in. The more the heavens continue to crackle and cry, the more the people are sure to make their way home. Sora is just chanting apologetic mantras in his head as he attempts to make a getaway.

"Roxas..."

What was once a jolly azure is now deeply cobalt blue, stormy and threatened in the perspective of cerulean eyes. "I l-like you. And... you. You like m-me too. There's _s-something_ between us, isn't there... B-But."

He leans his head onto Roxas' chest. It might be the only time he could. Roxas' heartbeat is loud and unsteady; so _real..._ so _mortal_ and _whole_ _._ It isn't until an arm wraps around him that the first droplets of rain begin to fall.

 

"...We can't be t-together."

 

They're the only ones left there now. All the locals have cleared up minutes ago, and the birds are only loitering around for their friends before they all migrate to drier areas together. If Roxas has to withstand the rain to listen to what Sora has to say, then so be it. It seems nature wasn't on his side as another burst of thunder erupts from above and Sora clutches him closer.

"I'm so sorry..." he mumbles sadly. The brunette's hair smells like sea salt and crisp air. **Natural. Wild.** "When Ventus and Axel... when I met them the other day... They were. They w-were _right,_ you know."

 _They were right..._ they were right about what? It doesn't make sense to Roxas now, but if he keeps his tongue Sora might just explain.

"To the world... I'm just another everyday force of nature. They can't... they can't _see_ me, Roxas. **No one can.** And everything I do is invisible to the world, from my drawings, to my footprints... everything... _except with you._ "

"But **_why—_** "

"I don't know. Remember w-what I said when I f-first met you? That you must be special, because it's not every other summer I get to see someone who could actually see me. Whether it's because it just is or because unlike everyone else, you like to be one with nature, I'm n-not so sure."

It didn't have to be this way, Sora knows. They could be together, but when he leaves, how can he be sure Roxas wouldn't get hurt? It isn't fair. But how could it be when he is what he is...

He steps away from the embrace, forcing himself to smile, casting his head around to see if everything is still in its place. No fallen trees or rooted-up houses yet, ha ha... Sora looks back at the blonde who's still as lost as ever, and he doesn't blame him. "I'm sorry you had to l-learn this way... I just c-couldn't find a way to tell you earlier..."

He dries his own tears and looks at his own representation — dark, glum colours blending into the saddened sky. Waving a hand, the worst of the clouds dissipate slowly while he whispers continuous "sorry"s to the people he watched over each and every single day.

 

 

**"My name is Sora. I'm the spirit of the sky, and I've fallen in love with you."**

 

* * *

_You're beautiful..._

* * *

It's an understatement to say Roxas is taken aback by the confession. The weather changing so rapidly, Sora's insistence to leave before sunset... the story fits in, but the reality of it is hard to grasp. The azure-eyed teen in front of him is very whole and real, and he knows he isn't just a figment of his imagination. _"H-How can you be a spirit when you look so hominine..."_ he wants to ask, but he casts the thought away in favour of taking the brunette's hand into his own.

"I... I have to go." Sora mutters, regretfully. Roxas has a hunch that Sora doesn't really want to go, but how can they pursue this if its futility was obvious?

.

.

_He doesn't want to hurt me._

.

.

_He thinks I'll crack because we aren't the same._

.

.

_Is that why he's been leaving?_

.

.

_He doesn't want to get too attached because he knows he can't stay?_

.

.

How can Sora be a spirit or whatever if his actions were so humane? To actually see whatever's budding in this relationship and to be aware that it shouldn't go on if it would never last? Nature shouldn't be forgiving or caring. They have no emotions to dwell upon.

.

.

**But Sora does.**

.

.

.

.

.

"O-Okay." Roxas says with a dismissive smile, clasping gently at the tan hand he still held. Apparently doing just that has confused the brunette because he looks back at him with hope in his eyes.

"You said I was _special_ right? Please believe me when I say I want to prove it to you."

"But—"

"Sora, believe in me..."

"I don't— We _can't—_ "

"I **know.** It's up to me though, isn't it? To decide. I believe you're worth fighting for, my love, just like you're worth visiting every waking moment of my summer. Please let me show you how I've come to adore you... please."

.

.

.

 _Okay, I believe you. Okay, I feel the same way. Okay, go if you must, okay, I don't care if I get hurt. Okay, I don't care that you're a part of nature, because to me, you're still the Sora I met and fell in love with and I still want to give this a chance._ The latter doesn't say any of these, but he knows the brunette picks up on these words because his irises begin to shine, much like the waning sun falling over two lone souls in the middle of a deserted seafront. Sora almost tackles him into the ground with the incoming hug, and dear, sweet nature, this is going to hurt the both of them in the long run but Roxas is willing to risk it for the **now** they have together.

And just like the end of every afternoon, daylight starts its transition to moonlight by setting over the distant horizon. The sky is crimson when Roxas pulls him closer, a hand tilting his chin upwards as he closes in for a kiss. Heartbeats pound and breaths are bated; the brunette can't stop thinking as momentary shades of scarlet and green and violet tint his cheeks, and _oh my gosh._ He's floating when soft lips touch his own, and it's raining again as he melts happily into the embrace of a love he's never had.

 

 

Once upon a time, the sky had a dream.

How is it that the people of the world could find a feeling called love in the oddest of places, in the most peculiar of times and the most different kinds of individuals?

Why do they believe it makes the world go around? Was it really that special?

 _He didn't want to be alone._ A lifetime spent watching the world and its wonders doesn't make him an expert on everything.

He comes down at random summers, waiting for something to happen. Waiting to learn of these feelings. But he should have known by now that it wouldn't last. And it doesn't.

By the end of the day and season, he resumes his place in the face of nature.

He knows he'll have to let go of this.

But the sky's found something this time around, hasn't it?

If it was that special, it'll be worth it, in the end.

 

 

* * *

_You're beautiful, it's true._

* * *

"No offence, but Sora. You have to stop changing the weather. It's scaring people."

When Sora laughs, cumulus clouds bulk up quicker than the few rounds made at an amusement park's cotton candy machine. "'M sorry." Hugging his knees closer to his body, he squeezes Roxas' hand and fiddles for his pinky finger. "Most of the time, it just happens. I bet the weatherman in your tv thing or whatnot is just crying because I make his job that much harder."

"What have you got against the weatherman?!"

"Nothing." he lies. It's early afternoon and Roxas surprises Sora with an unplanned picnic of sandwiches and blackcurrant juice. Now that the former knows of Sora's predicament, he's free to come seek him anytime after sunrise and before the sunset. Sora just can't leave the beach, being a part of nature and all. The ordeal's the weirdest thing Roxas has ever confessed to his brother, and man, the expression Ventus gave him after he finally shut up was so priceless he wished he had a camera at hand.

The azure-eyed teen speaks up again after another bite. "I just think he's a fool for thinking he can predict how nature works with a few science-y stuff. I bet he doesn't even like nature."

"Love, it's not his fault. He just reads off a script without knowing."

"Still." The argument dies when Sora catches the sight of a crab burrowing out of the ground and crawling towards the shore.

"Roxy, it's a crab! These guys are normally so shy, burrowing away from anyone's sight, aww." He stuffs the sandwich into his mouth and, moving away from the blonde, he tries to crawl like it, much to Roxas' amusement. It surprises the latter even more though when Sora picks it up from below its pincers and pulls weird expressions in its presence.

"Can animals see you, Sora?"

The brunette shrugs. "Not exactly. Only the intelligent ones do." A scrunched-up nose, a teasing raspberry. "And this one's just confused, hah! I can eat and pick things up like a normal person, and no — people wouldn't see a floating paranormal crab or something — they just won't see it altogether." Placing it back on the ground, Sora wiggles a finger as though to say goodbye as the crustacean digs deep in the sand to conceal itself once more.

Sora is so mysterious, and there is so much Roxas still doesn't know about him. Granted, nature does have a lot of secrets yet to be discovered. He wouldn't have him any other way though. Roxas downs his drink and packs the food back into his bag before joining his new love and his hunt for sea critters. Sora teaches him how to pick one up and which spots in the sand they like to emerge from, eventually challenging each other to find as many crabs as they could in the span of an hour.

When four o'clock hits, they chill under the mild summer sun, making silly sand doodles and trying to shape the seaweed they've hunted for in the sea into the unfamiliar faces of people they can see around. Sora spots a big man in goofy clothes and prompts the cerulean-eyed tean to make a replica of him.

"I think he should have a bigger nose."

"What, like that?" Roxas picks off one of the leaves from the seaweed and outlines the aforementioned body part. Sora checks the man's face from a distance again.

"Yeah. Man, what are we doing, crafting people's faces like this...?"

The cerulean-eyed teen chuckles heartily. "This was your idea. Don't blame me for it."

"We went swimming and walking last time so... I thought we'd do something else. Aren't I running out of creativity..." Slumping back on the sand and away from the seaweed portrait, he sighs. His clouds smile down at him approvingly. "Decades of watching and only a few moments of doing does rot my soul sometimes."

"Hmm. I wish I could show you what's out there, but you can't leave this place can you?" A fishy hand through sunshine strands. "Have you seen other countries before or do you always end up here?"

"So many _questions..."_ Sora teases, but answers anyway. "I've seen them. The many different people around the world too. I've met others across decades, but they always forget me eventually because I haven't gotten to know them like I have with you. People are so mysterious and different; unpredictable just like nature. It's weird. But everything around us is weird, isn't it?"

Yes.

...because life and love's a silly thing, but the blonde wouldn't have it any other way. He kneels behind the azure-eyed teen and plants a chaste kiss on his forehead, earning him a happy giggle in return. The seaweed portrait is long abandoned for a silent staring contest. "I won't forget you, though. I pretty much see you everyday."

"You better not, Roxas." the guy reprimands, an arm extended to touch the blonde's face from his position.

These days won't last, but our memories and feelings will.

* * *

_...I don't know what to do..._

* * *

Roxas has brought kites to fly with his love.

Summer is ending in less than a fortnight, but they're doing what they can to make the most of their hours. Sure, being confined to one place isn't all that fun, because... ironically enough, the blonde wants to show his sky the world. His parents have been curious as to why Roxas has to go out everyday, but they don't question his movements thanks to his brother's help. It somehow terrifies him, the prospect of saying goodbye. They both don't want to do so of course, but it's inevitable.

The kite Roxas is flying is one from his childhood: a huge, light orange randomly-shaped one with endless white streamers stuck against its ends. Sora is borrowing Ven's lime green dolphin kite. It looks more like a balloon from afar, but it flies just as well as the sunshine-haired teen's as they run around the currently deserted morning beach to pick up winds.

Sora manouvers his kite out of Roxas' way before the two almost collide. "The wind's normally gentle even in the morning, but just for this occasion, I'm glad I can make it stronger!" he snickers gladly.

"Oi, not too harsh, though!" the cerulean-eyed teen tells him, and he panics a little as he loses control of his kite and has to edge a couple of paces backwards. The other boy seems to be having fun witnessing Roxas struggle, however. Heh. Sora just wants to play with him while they still could.

Even as he tries not to succumb to the wind's ministrations, Roxas can't help but appreciate the smile on Sora's face. This was the individual he fell in love with **—** a beautiful, mysterious, **mischievous** brunette who was competitive and curious and creative in every way. Up a bit, down a bit, pulling at the strings. They are having fun, just like they deserve to.

"Come on Roxy! Fly! Fly!" Sora beams, running further and further away with his kite in tow. Sora's abilities are strong, but there is no way the seventeen year old is giving in.

"Oh no you don't, don't think I'm letting you win!"

"Of course not, but I'm not letting you win either. Fly! Fly!"

 

"FLY!"

 

 

Roxas loses the wrestle spontaneously as he sees himself being lifted just a few inches off the ground. It's a surprise his kite was large enough to carry some of his weight, but anything's possible in the presence of a nature spirit.

"Yeaaaah! You're flying! You really are!"

He panics. " _Whooaa,_ yeah I am, _okay,_ Sora, I want to be on **solid ground—** come on, love, _please_ stop—"

The breeze calms down rapidly, but the kites remain airborne. Sora is laughing off his amusement. If Roxas was looking, he would have seen the sky betrays Sora's true feelings as it bleeds into a slightly darker azure shade.

"Aww, you're no fun, Roxy." the brunette pouts from behind him.

.

.

...It's not that he isn't _afraid_ to fly, because he wants to one day. See the clouds up close. See what it's like above them. How do the colours differ when you're twenty-five thousand feet above ground? Are they cooler? Warmer? A blend of light yellows and violets? He's imagining what a sunset might look like above the clouds when he hears a sad whoosh and thunk — his kite has crashed. Sora's ahead of him now, trying to catch the green dolphin before it too adheres to gravity and falls.

.

.

_I just want to be with you._

.

.

"Y'okay, Rox? You were out for a while there," the azure-eyed teen says when they find each other and rest up on the beach stairs.

"Yeah, I'm good. How's Ven's kite?"

The boy throws him a flashy smile. "It's safe and sound. Caught it just in time. Yours?"

"A bit sandy, but still functional." They leave them next to their shoes before seeking out each other's hands, brown strands of hair falling on the other's shoulder as they catch their breaths.

.

.

_Why can't we be together?_

.

.

"Hey Sor? You'll watch over when I go travelling someday, yeah?" He's thinking about the future. How different things will be when, well... when Sora has to go. Roxas is lucky to have fallen for the spirit of the sky in the first place, and as selfish as he is, he wants to keep him for himself. Was there a way they could see each other again? It's not like summer will never come again. He just has to wait, right? Wait and seek, just like he'd done so when he first saw those two non-eraseable letters on the sand. Sora draws a pale hand to his lips and kisses the back of it, smiling at the still peaking sun.

"Course I will. I'll stalk you if I could, ha ha." he replies. "Stare at all the places you enter... watch you _walk..._ watch you _shower—_ "

"Please **do not** watch me shower. I'll keep the windows blocked out if you do."

"...watch you _shampoo your hair_ and _wash it out..._ watch you _dry off_ and get into the hotel bed naked and _think about me_ and—"

"I don't like where this is going!" Roxas bumps him at the side. "So vulgar, sky spirit. What have you been doing with your life?"

.

.

_You know I love you, right?_

.

.

"All my life, huh... I've watched over the earth all my life... over its creatures and over its people." Sora declares, triumphantly grinning. "So you can't really blame me for noting how strange everyone is. Years of watching and I kind of, err, picked up some human habits, ha ha. I live to watch over anyone, everyone, **everything.** Because no matter where you are, there's got to be a sky under you, right?"

.

.

_I wanted to be a part of your world._

.

.

You don't need to fly to see the sky. Just look out a window, go outside, observe the sun and the clouds; the moon and the stars. A bleak goodbye will not separate them. It'll be hard, but isn't love like that?

"Don't worry so much, Roxas. I'll look after you from above. I'll always be here..." the brunette promises as he snuggles closer to Roxas, arms locked together as they stare at the horizon.

"Yeah." Roxas beams back, reassured.

No matter what, no matter where. The sky will always be there.

* * *

"Dude, it's like, two in the morning. What the heck, man." Ven stumbles in his brother's bedroom one night, rubbing his eyes as tries to get them used to the dimness of Roxas' desk lamp.

"I'm working on something." his brother says back, not paying attention as he invites him to sit on his bed with a hand motion. "I don't know if nature spirits can bring gifts over to wherever they go, but it's still worth a shot."

He took a technology class in high school, so Roxas knows what he's doing as he files a metal cap of some sort and twists what used to be a metal hanger into a hinge ring. The blonde's trying to make a locket: something Sora will remember him by, just as he'll remember him with his own. Sure, he could have bought a ready-made one in that one jewellery shop in town his mother loved so much, but it doesn't have that "nature-like" style he wants Sora to see, and homemade gifts are way more special than bought ones. The cerulean-eyed teen hopes from the bottom of his heart that, as he wipes a sweatdrop and exercises his tired arms for a while, the final product could at least reflect a little bit of the ample love he has for his sky.

"You are _insane._ " Ven mumbles finally before digging through his brother's closet. Roxas has the window open, possibly so the moonlight could guide him in his task, as well as the dark blueness of the celestial night heavens. The older blonde finds Roxas' favourite jacket and drapes it over his twin's back to keep him comfortable.

"At least wear something warm. I don't want you to catch a cold. We're taking different classes, so come university I can't look after you all the time."

Roxas smiles and wears it to humour him. "Alright, alright. Now go back to sleep. I'll be fine." Clank. Clank. Twist.

"My brother is the weirdest guy in love ever..." mutters Ventus as he shuts the door in pursuit of his own room.

* * *

_There must be an angel, with a smile on her face..._

* * *

His drawings are fading away.

Time is always so fast when you need it the most, Roxas thinks, as he showers his love's cheek with quick butterfly kisses. They're sitting on the line where the sand and sea meet, legs extended out to the waves that wash over them. Good weather again, but like Sora's blush, the sky's a humble pastel lilac as one, two, three pecks send happy chills to his spine.

Sora is tracing something up whilst humming — maybe a flower, or the sun, the blonde isn't sure. But unlike his drawings from weeks ago, they would fade quickly, only half of the picture complete. The melody is sad and somewhat _accepting;_ slow, solemn, sombre notes to express the teen's mood. Roxas kisses him for the umpteenth time.

"Whatcha working on?"

"Hmm, oh. I was trying draw a cupcake." Sora says, secretly annoyed at the stubborn waves. "With icing, haha." A weak smile.

"I haven't eaten a lot of human food, but I hear pasta tastes good. The thought of eating meatballs makes me cringe, though."

"Pasta's alright." the cerulean-eyed teen responds. "I'd prefer it in mushroom sauce, since the whole tomato thing isn't for me."

"Maybe you could bring me some?"

Roxas feels warm when the boy clings to him tightly, attempting to coax him into complying with blue puppy eyes. He nods. "Sure, anything for you."

_._

_._

_Because I don't have long to show you how much I care, don't I?_

_._

_._

The day is young and the crowds are minimal today, varying from last-minute summer tanning individuals and volleyball enthusiasts. No one seems to notice the sky spirit and his love tossing whatever they can find around them — from seashells, to tiny swept-out twigs and rocks into the sea with their free hands. The cerulean-eyed teen chuckles at the way one of the twigs flop onto an incoming wave. Things get even however when another, much stronger wave completely soaks them both, the sea somehow angry for being ridiculed.

Sooner or later, Roxas ushers them both to their feet, shorts dripping of once-cold saltwater. He pulls the sky closer to him, completely taking in the fresh scent of the breeze for him to remember. They dance. Clumsy, wet footsteps and blissful chuckles, hands clasped together as the two spin around quickly, _one and two and three._

"Heeeeey, I'm gonna fall over, we're spinning _too fast!_ " the azure-eyed teen exclaims with mirth in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll catch you." Splish, splish, splash, splosh. The sea is their witness, amused with each and every step they took. The waves crash. The wind sings. It's both beautiful and tragic, this fast-paced love of theirs.

Splish, splish, splash, splosh...

.

.

.

.

"...Roxas?"

The blonde answers monosyllabically.

"When I _disappear—_ " _No. Don't say such things. You won't disappear; I know you'll still be here._ "—would you... would be there till the end?"

I will watch you go.

I will keep you in my heart.

"If I could, love, I'd find you no matter what. Every summer... whatever country... whatever time..."

.

.

_Why do I love you? Have we moved too fast? Is this really worth it? My feelings are yours, that's for sure._

_._

_._

When the sunset comes, Roxas and Sora settle to a relaxed and romantic slow dance. Closer and closer, short kisses that should have lasted longer. It's up to Father Nature and the sea to watch over them now, because time isn't on their side and it refuses to be.

 

_His drawings are fading away._

 

"I love you, Sora." Cerulean orbs, light shining.

"Love you, too." Whatever love means, whatever love is, the sky will keep his words like his name on the sand.

 

_...But his love will stay._

* * *

_When she thought up that I should be with you..._

* * *

Thank Axel and Demyx for this one, his mind keeps providing for him as he rows the kayak further and further into the ocean. That early morning alone, the two friends pitched in to bring the latter's boat in his pick-up truck, if only so Roxas could have a perfect last day of summer. Ven's coming in later afternoon to bring Mother's special pasta recipe and so much more, and after much convincing, Sora has decided to stay for as long as he could for a once-in-a-lifetime overnight camping spree.

Roxas is glad to have such supporting friends.

The aforementioned brunette is in awe as he watches the oars whip up tiny whirlpools in the water, hands just shy of the edge. From turquoise to deep sapphire, Sora's own azure eyes light up at the changing beauty his cousin, the sea, possesses.

"I've never actually gone diving before," he says lightly, voice laced with excitement as he puts on the very much industrialized diving mask. It fits his face awkwardly and when he shows the other from behind him, Roxas chuckles at the way he looks.

"Those look so big on you, but I guess it'll have to do."

Sora pouts. "Ehh? It won't come out though, right? I've got it tightened up and everything. It's just supposed to protect my eyes from the water?"

"Naturally."

The few people at the shore look like little dotted figures from where they are, and when the blonde thinks they've found a deep enough spot to dive at, he lets the handy anchor sink deep into the sea just as how Demyx taught him to.

.

.

.

Sora always knew the sea was beautiful, but even for a nature spirit, there's still plenty he hasn't explored. He gasps at the sight of blue marlins, jellyfish and other aquatic creatures, their radiant rainbow colours filling his heart with pure joy. It's nicer, taking a dive somewhere deeper than where he's allowed. Hand in hand as they become one with the ocean, Roxas and Sora navigate around coral reefs of many shapes and sizes filled with life and inspiration.

Just as the brunette gives chase to a seahorse horde, he spots a giant turtle and, looking back at Roxas for approval, goes on to latch onto its back as it carries him to its destination. All these creatures; hidden from him. He revels in spending time with them all, just as the blonde revels in seeing him smile.

When they resurface, they find themselves a great deal away from the kayak, and so, being their naturally competitive selves, they try to outswim the other back. It's on that last summer morning that they rest under the timid sun — away from the shore, away from everyone, away from industrialization and from the world itself.

Just with nature... just with nature...

* * *

Carbonara is now officially Sora's favourite food, devoid of ham and plentiful with mushrooms. Dem is grilling barbecue with their red-haired friend, and Ven tries not to say anything that will hurt Roxas and his love.

"How's Mother's pasta?" he says instead, and attempts to picture a petite brunette with gravity-defying hair, sky blue eyes and skin as healthy as any summer-loving individual would have in the (not blank) space beside Roxas.

"I love it! Food is so _awesome..._ and I'm so glad that you're all so kind to me..." Sora replies. This loving family — he could have been a whole part of it if he isn't what he is, but it's too late for regrets; only wishes, and hopes that he'd experience this again.

"He says he's glad you're all so kind and that he loves it." Roxas translates for them.

"Aww, no problem for our one and only Roxy's beloved." Axel winks, bringing over the freshly-made batch of porkchops.

"Oh shut it, you."

" _Ohhhh, shuuuut it youuu, says Roxas dearest, but how he feels for Soraaaa, is the sweetest!_ " Their music-loving friend chips in gleefully. The blonde's eye twitches, baffled at the remark and he flicks handful of sand at the direction where Demyx is standing. It doesn't reach him, of course.

"Why are you guys _soooo_ annoying..."

In his heart he's very thankful for having them around — for **believing** in him and Sora, but there's no way he'd voice that out loud... no way, haha. The brunette chuckles sweetly beside him, and Roxas automatically knows something's changed when Axel perks up and Ventus gasps, falling back at the sand upon hearing the voice of the sky.

...

Once they're done eating the azure-eyed teen invites Roxas up, and they skip happily and playfully while Demyx takes out his trusty sitar and begins to play a piece. Ven and Axel remain sitting and clapping as their best friend and his love make the most of this day. Regardless of the select few locals loitering at the beach, the five freely enjoy themselves. It is the last day of summer, after all.

"So, Dem likes music, Axel's thinking of taking business, and Ven might go into media studies?" Sora asks, his hands still grasping his love's as they lose themselves to a spinning momentum. They're about to fall over when the redhead warns them to keep it together.

"Yep. Music is the way to go, my brotha. There are so many perfect pieces and beautiful instruments you haven't heard from yet, have ya?"

"Dude, if he's been around for decades, he must have." Ven scrunches his nose to avoid an incoming sneeze.

"Don't underestimate the spirits of nature huh... Man, I feel kinda bad, yaknow? Are there any hot chick spirits? I'm too jelly, man _—_ a world out there I haven't known of? Daaaamn."

"Axel, **no.** "

"What? Just saying. I wish I was more observant and lucky like you." He shakes his head, leaning back on the picnic mat and eyeing the clouds whirl by. Roxas plants one on Sora's cheek before they take a seat on the sand.

He is lucky, isn't he? He'll always be lucky for having fallen for Sora, and having Sora love him back just as much.

The three say their goodbyes and part just before five, giving the couple ample time to themselves before night falls and slumber is the only thing that separates the summer from autumn. Roxas wants this day to be positively memorable. He says none of it and tries not to react when the hand in his flickers transcendently, like a gradual transparencing stage. Singing _—_ the voice of his love soothes him. Longing words that take his mind off reality, wishes to keep what they have before it fades.

_(No, it won't fade.)_

_(It won't fade... it won't fade...)_

I love you... always.

* * *

The last night of summer, the last day of the month. The air cooling slowly as it briefly whisks over the sides of the small erected tent under one of the trees at the beach. Tucking himself inside a sleeping bag next to the calm brunette, cerulean orbs blink repeatedly as he takes in Sora's sparkling dark azure eyes.

"Are you seriously starting your watching spree now?" Roxas jokes, fixing a few strands of Sora's hair behind his ear. Nature spirits do not sleep and the sky exists to watch over the world. It's hard to believe how time flies by, and that _soon—_

"Heehee~ Don't worry, I'm here."

Sora scoots closer and basks in the warmth and presence of Roxas, arms wrapped strongly around each other.

Kisses, caresses, a night to remember as they touch under the ultramarine blanket of stars. Sora will never forget the feel of fingers treading through his hair, or the little happy sighs the blonde makes after their lips meet in a sensual manner. The smell of salt and Roxas' dishevelled hairstyle. Watching from afar had been a repetitive habit. Seeing him up close turns whatever's left of Sora's human self into contented putty.

Lying there, with Sora's head of chocolate hair resting on his chest, Roxas remembers something and taps the azure-eyed teen to move aside for a bit. He retrieves it from a pocket in his bag and dusts the thing before showing it to Sora. It's the locket he completed: pelted metal shaped into a love heart and a chain of A-plus handiwork. He _tried_. It's not the best thing ever, but it is a representation of his love. The smile on the sky's face, Roxas thinks to himself, was definitely worth making it.

"It's beautiful, Roxy." the brunette says, bringing it to one cheek and revelling in its coolness.

"I have no idea if you can take it to where you come from but... I wanted to give you something before... err, something to—that is..."

He's rewarded by a thousand kisses and an ecstatic tackle hug. "I'll pull the strings to make sure I keep it forever." A tear of joy cascades down Sora's face when he sees what's inside the treasure — it's one of Roxas' best photos, with his eyes at the blue sky wearing the biggest, most genuine grin. Ventus took it on one of their holidays when the younger blonde wasn't looking. He only had one physical copy, and now he was giving it away.

When the seventeen year old tires and he rests his eyes as Sora rubs his back, the brunette whispers yet another set of lyrics, lulling his beloved to sleep. He resists the tugging feeling when his left hand spiritualizes and rematerializes _—_ he never did like having to deal with this. It is as if he never existed, this transitional stage. He can never be free but he's found a saving light. Sora knows Roxas will think of him even after the day ends.

.

.

.

That's what the sky can hope for now.

* * *

Roxas panics when he wakes up without Sora.

.

.

He didn't say goodbye?

.

.

.

He didn't wake him up?

.

.

.

What if he didn't have a chance to? What if he tried so hard to stay?

.

.

Throwing the sleeping bag to the side as he shuffles towards the tent entrance, his racing heart slows when he spots a silhouette crouching near the shore. The blonde all but runs to where his love is, tracing his name on the sand repeatedly.

The first day of autumn is a rainy day.

"I'm sorry I didn't wake you..." the boy whispers. "...Was going to." His limbs are flickering in and out of existence now, and Roxas collects the crouching body and cuddles into his shoulder. Of course Sora is crying. Saying goodbye is never easy.

"Hey, hey." _Damn it_ , the brunette crying like that saddens him enough to start sobbing as well, but he forces himself to smile for their sake. "Sora, God, I _love_ you so much, okay, I'm here... Shhh..."

The sun is shy of rising from the far off horizon, and the sky continues to doodle against the coming of the waves and raindrops.

 **S.** Stay with me. Don't disappear under the sand or behind the clouds.

 **O.** Of all the summers I've had to live through, ours was the best because I was with you.

 **R.** Roxas, I love you. Never forget that.

 **A.** Always. Whether or not we see each other again, this love will be remembered forever more.

"Play a game... w-with me, Roxy." The palms of his hands sweep away freshly shed tears and Sora beams, grateful for having Roxas around. The blonde agrees. One last kiss and daylight will soon illuminate the world they loved so much.

" _They're not gone yet._ See how many names you can count before they all wash away. Can you do that, Roxas?" He backs off slowly, hesitantly. The shorefront is full of them — lopsided letters of different sizes, just like the first day, Roxas remembers.

"Sure."

"Keep counting and tell me when you're done."

"Alright. I can do that, love."

It's a distraction, he knows.

.

.

.

It can't _be_ this way, but what choice does the cerulean-eyed teen have? He points at one name after the other and counts out loud. " _One, two..._ "

"Three, _four,_ five... _six..._ "

"Seven... eight, _nine..._ "

Further and further away are the steps Sora takes as he distances himself from the occupied blonde. Flicker, flicker, woosh. Waves, wind and rain: sweeping away each letter.

"I love you, Rox. Don't forget me." Words soon to be carried by the wind as the azure-eyed teen clutches at the locket, grinning his best.

"Ten. Eleven, _twelve_ , thirteen... fourteen, _fifteen_ , sixteen."

" ** _Seventeen._** " Roxas stops, ending with that last ripple of the sea. He doesn't have to turn around to know Sora is...

Instead, he looks up at the heavens and screams his answer, water droplets mixing with his tears. "I love you, my beautiful sky.

.

.

**I love you so much..."**

* * *

_But it's time to face the truth..._

* * *

Two weeks into autumn and Roxas has time to spare, choosing to make a stopover at the beach after a long first day in university. He already has plans for his first art project — a portfolio on personified spirits of nature, his upcoming best piece hopefully a portrait of his summer sky. Beep beep. A text from Ven lets him know that the guy's having trouble getting home (screw transportation delays!, he quotes) and another from Axel (can't a guy take a beachwalk in peace?) ranting about this hot blue-haired girl with a punky 'x' tattoo on her face talking to him today.

...It's been a while, but every minute he can't help but miss Sora... _so much._ He dreams of seaweed and the sky on the sand, in this land... meeting him and having him safely in his arms. Sora promised to watch over him, so sometimes he chats with the face of nature, grinning openly regardless of prying eyes when a breeze wooshes past him like a hand caressing his face.

It's hard, but isn't love always like that? He follows a random set of footprints, almost similar to Sora's foot size, and ends up near the shore where the waves are close enough to wash over his favourite pair of shoes. He's got something in hand, so maybe he can let it go before he goes home.

Roxas' heart almost stops when he notices the waves don't wash over this set of footprints immediately. He waits some to confirm he's not seeing things, and he finds his initial thoughts are wrong. Correction: these footprints don't wash out _at all._ He immediately thinks, _no_ , _it's too good to be true._ It's autumn and—

The five pm beachside is deserted on that busy weekday, so when he catches sight of a pale blonde girl in a white dress with her hands behind her back, he immediately concludes she is one of them.

.

.

.

He makes his way to her. She must be the autumn nature spirit, here to stay until the end of the season. Sora told him it was random to be able to take human form and end up in the same place, so it was a lucky break that she immediately followed the brunette here. Roxas is just about to say something but he isn't sure how he could put it. _Are you one of them? Do you know Sora? Hi, what nature form do you take?_

"Umm, err, excuse me," he begins. Already off to a _bad_ start, huh. "I, umm. Couldn't help but notice that your... well, your footprints don't fade away in the water. If you don't mind me asking, are y-you a nature spirit perhaps? Of course, if you aren't please just ignore me, I'm a weird guy, ha ha."

She turns around when she hears "nature spirit" and her sapphire eyes light up, nodding and greeting him back in a soft-spoken tone.

"Yes, I am. I'm Naminé, and you must be Roxas. I'm the spirit of the waves."

_Waves. She controls the actions of the sea..._

Somehow the thought of surfers complaining because they can't get a good wave or fishermen raging because the low tide is constant makes him laugh out loud.

"I think we'll be great friends, Naminé."

* * *

She tells him of her promise to the sky just as the male blonde can say only good about the brunette he deeply adored.

"I can still hear him say your name sometimes. Kairi, my cousin, the sea — she gets super annoyed because he keeps singing and great Riku just shuts them both up."

"Oh... Does that mean you can hear them now? Sora had to listen to all your conversations whilst he was human?"

The sapphire-eyed girl shakes her head. "No. Just when I get back home after dusk. Nature constantly needs their guiding spirits since it is part of our duty to remain balance. Riku was super cross when Sora pulled those extreme weather stunts — terrifying the life out of everyone non-purposefully. Let's just say he's not allowed to change the weather so much now." she chuckles.

"Wow. So even you guys have limits, huh."

"I guess. He thinks you're good for Sora though. Maybe... if he's in a great mood, great Riku might just..." she pauses, smiling at him as she becomes aware she's said too much. Roxas smiles back. He talks to Ven about his love as often as his brother wants to listen to him, and talking to Naminé right now, the cerulean-eyed blonde feels grateful. It warms his heart to know that the brunette really is watching him, thinking about him even when he isn't around. Next year though...

 _He'll find him no matter what._ Even if it takes forever, Roxas knows they'll meet again.

Naminé gets up from the ground and dusts her dress free of sand. "Roxas, I've something to show you. I promised Sora to take you to see it. It's why I'm here in the first place, you see."

"Something to show me?" He stands as well, following suit. "Alright. Lead the way."

The shore is wide and they cover half of it on foot; their destination the very far right end of the beach. Roxas has been at both ends in his spare time, but there wasn't much he could say about them. The left end of the beach was just a plain layout of sand. The right, however...

It ends in a protruding rock formation, which in turn, leads to a hill looking over the sea. Naminé continues to lead him closer and closer and before they know it, they both arrive on scene.

"You can only reach this place on foot if I say so," she grins, taking his hand as they attempt to tiptoe towards the water. The waves retract in her presence, allowing them to walk further into uncharted areas. Roxas had absolutely no idea there was a small cave around here, only accessible in very, very low tide.

They enter, the cerulean-eyed teen noting how narrow it is. The blonde girl points at a doodle on the walls. "Sora's surprise, Part One. He'd been carving this piece ever since you told him you love him, ha ha."

It's the two of them, hand in hand. It's difficult to draw in stone, but so intricate is the tiny drawing that Roxas can make out the spikes on their hair. Approaching the drawing closer, he accidentally steps over some words on the sand that he hasn't noticed until now. Oh crap.

Naminé reassures him it's going nowhere. "It's alright, don't worry." And indeed it was, because when he lifts his foot out the letters are still there to stay.

 

Heh.

 

How sweet. A simple phrase is enough to send him to tears of joy.

.

.

.

_"Roxas, you're beautiful."_

_._

_._

_._

He should be saying that. Everything about nature is beautiful, especially the sky as he knows he could love.

* * *

When they leave the cave, the sun is ready to wane. It's only a matter of time before it sets and the sapphire-eyed girl has to go. His bag is still where he last left it against a tree, along with the item he desires to let go. The wave spirit tells him to keep his eyes on the sky.

Do you know the most beautiful sunsets? It's when the colour of the sky is crimson and purple; pink, yellow presets and a bright orange for the sun. But that couldn't compare to the view in sight, because the sun's rays spread far against a scarlet backdrop in what looks to be the shape of a love heart.

"Sora's surprise, Part Two." It barely registers when Naminé tells him this. "Only when the sun sets can you see it shaped like a golden locket. Just a little something to show you his thanks."

.

.

.

.

.

Once upon a time, the sky had a dream. He met a boy who showed him what he was missing out on as a part of nature and made him feel... everything possible to feel.

Sadness, happiness, anger, fear.

**Love.**

He isn't _alone_ anymore.

Their love really is a special one, Naminé concludes as she watches Roxas release a helium balloon to the heavens with a note tied to it.

_I love you, Sora._

_Forever and always._

_Love may make the world go around, but with you, I d_ _on't need the whole world._

_All I need is the **sky** above me..._

...There is no letting go.

.

.

.

The teen and the spirit eye the balloon drift upwards to touch the bleeding navy blue sky.

...There are no happily ever afters; only wishes, and hopes that they meet again, someday.

* * *

_I will never be with you._

* * *

 


End file.
